L'Animal dans la Décoration

The color of autumn leaves reminds me of this beautiful folio created by M. P. Verneuil at the height

 of the Art Nouveau's ornamental frenzy. Verneuil was one of the most talented pupils in Eugène Grasset's

 Parisian atelier, and executed many designs under his direction for the 1896 portfolio

La Plante et ses Applications Ornementales. One year later he produced his own series 

of 60 lithographic plates containing hundreds of decorative depictions of animals 

and dedicated it to Grasset, whose realistic, detailed and romantic style clearly inspired him. 

 

Thanks to the New York Public Library for the gorgeous scans.

From the Field

Yellow Warblers

Holly Ward Bimba, the artist behind Golly Bard, paints lovely watercolors inspired

by the nature surrounding her cottage in the rural village of Upperville, VIrginia.

After learning how to work with watercolor from her high school art teacher, 

she studied printmaking, papermaking, and book arts at Syracuse University. 

Watercolor still remains her favorite medium, and she uses it to create 

delicate portraits of wild animals, plants, and other tiny wonders.

Wild Hare and Honey Bees

Web Weaver no. 5

Ant Hill

I love the way she combines her methodic, science–oriented approach to observing and recording

details and patterns, with a spontaneous, whimsical style and wonderful feeling for color. 

Frolic in the Fernwood

Wild Hare and Honey Bees

Black Swan and Water Lily Bog

RIng Necked Pheasant no. 2

Bard is fascinated by natural history, repetition, and cataloguing. She often creates

artworks featuring series of animals, or series of artworks with the same subject. 

Swarm of Empresses

Migration

Fanciful Feather Collection no. 1

Beetles, Weevils and Flies no. 8

You can view the rest of the series on Bard's Flickr gallery. 

Bard has recently designed the Woodland Collection of fabrics. These charming works can be bought 

from Spoonflower, a company that allows artists to print their own designs using digital textile printers 

and eco-friendly inks on natural fiber fabrics.